Football transfer news

Former Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe is the hot favourite to take the vacant Celtic manager’s job with talks between the two parties at an ‘advanced stage’.

Howe has been out of work since leaving the Cherries in August 2020 following their relegation from the Premier League.

The 43-year-old spent just short of eight years at Bournemouth during his second spell as manager, taking them from League One to the Premier League where they enjoyed five largely successful seasons before slipping back into the second tier.

Since leaving the south coast club last summer, Howe has continued to be linked with a number of sides including Sheffield United and Newcastle, though it seems he’s now on the verge of becoming Celtic manager, with BBC Sport claiming talks are at an advanced stage.

Celtic have been on the hunt for a new boss since Neil Lennon was relieved of his duties in late February.

John Kennedy was placed in interim charge of the Bhoys, though with just one win and two draws from his three outings as manager, the club is set to look elsewhere in their bid to find a new permanent boss.

The rumour mill has churned out a whole host of names linked with the job in recent weeks, with RB Salzburg manager Jesse Marsch and pundit Roy Keane just two of those said to be on the club’s shortlist.

However, it seems Howe could be the man to take the Celtic Park hotseat and – if that proves to be the case – he’s got a huge task ahead of him.

The Bhoys have endured a nightmare campaign this season having conceded their Scottish Premiership title to city rivals Rangers, subsequently missing out on their tenth consecutive crown.

Their exit from the Champions League qualifying rounds was a huge blow to the club’s finances and Howe will have his work cut out if he’s to lead Celtic back to the top of Scottish football.

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Lucas Torreira has revealed he has no intentions of returning to Arsenal following the expiration of his loan move to Atletico Madrid and instead wants to move to Boca Juniors.

The Uruguayan took part in a candid interview in which he discussed the recent death of his mother due to coronavirus.

The 25-year-old was granted special dispensation from Atletico to fly home following the news and he’s now confirmed he has no intentions of playing in Europe beyond the end of this season, with a transfer to Boca Juniors his preferred move.

“I always said that I wanted to play in Boca,” he said as reported by Marca. “I am dying to play in Boca and I will always say it. Not only for my moment. But it is now, it is in June and I always wanted to play in Boca. I’m dying to play in Boca.

“The night my mother died and one of the first to receive the news was my representative. I don’t want to play in Europe anymore, I want to play in Boca.”

Despite clearly not wanting to extend his stay with Atleti, Torreira was full of praise for the La Liga outfit where he’s currently playing on loan from Arsenal, and he applauded boss Diego Simeone for showing compassion in the decision to let him fly home.

“I asked for a license at Atlético de Madrid, Cholo [Diego Simeone] understood everything and they gave me a week, but I asked to stay a little longer,” he added. “On Sunday I’m probably traveling. I have to do my duty and life must continue. Atlético was very good to me and it’s important.”

Torreira went on to add that his decision to move back to South America was also partly driven by football. The Uruguay international explained he hasn’t enjoyed his football for nearly two years and that he now wants to leave Europe for good.

“It’s been two years since I had a good time personally, without continuity, Arsenal hurt me and at Atletico I don’t play as I want,” he said.

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Anthony Martial is expected to be absent for Manchester United’s Premier League fixture with Brighton on Sunday evening.

The forward picked up a knee problem while playing for France during their 2-0 win over Kazakhstan, getting his studs stuck in the pitch turf and receiving treatment for a few minutes.

The former Monaco star was eventually replaced by Kylian Mbappe just before the hour mark and United were waiting for clarification over the injury.

L’Equipe now say the 25-year-old won’t be fit to face the Seagulls at the weekend and is also a doubt for the following Europa League fixture against Granada next week. The Red Devils’ next game after those two is a trip to Tottenham, which could be a more realistic return date should he miss the next two games.

Martial has struggled for consistency throughout the 2020/21 season. After managing 17 Premier League goals last term, the Frenchman has mustered up just four this time around, though his side sit second in England’s top flight regardless of his output.

Martial’s potential absence hands manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a major selection conundrum ahead of the weekend.

? Find out how Ole’s Reds are shaping up for this weekend’s return to action… ??#MUFC #MUNBHA

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) April 1, 2021

Mason Greenwood was lost to injury during the international break, while Marcus Rashford also had to withdraw from the England squad with a foot problem he has been carrying. Juan Mata is also recovering from a muscle problem.

Daniel James scored Wales’ winner against the Czech Republic and could start on the right against Brighton, while Paul Pogba could also be used in a more offensive position due to the lack of alternatives. Edinson Cavani would be the likely candidate to start up front with main goal threat Bruno Fernandes in the number ten role.

United are 14 points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City and a point ahead of Leicester as they look to improve upon last season’s third place finish.

For more from Jude Summerfield, follow him on Twitter!

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Ainsley Maitland-Niles has signalled his intention to leave Arsenal at the end of the season amid growing interest from a number of clubs.

The 23-year-old was the subject of intense transfer speculation last summer, with Wolves lodging a £20m bid for the youngster.

However, a stellar display at full-back in the Community Shield win over Premier League champions Liverpool in August convinced Mikel Arteta to snub Wolves’ advances.

But after that Maitland-Niles struggled to hold down a place in the Gunners’ starting XI and was shipped out on loan to strugglers West Brom in January, having completed 90 minutes of league football on just four occasions so far this season.

The England international has been an ever-present in Sam Allardyce’s side since securing a temporary move to the Baggies, and The Telegraph report he’s now informed parent club Arsenal that he’ll be leaving in the summer.

Maitland-Niles was handed his senior debut for the Three Lions last year and has won five caps for his country.

He was omitted from Gareth Southgate’s squad for the March internationals and that may have driven his desire to leave the Emirates Stadium this summer in search of first-team football at a high-profile club.

Wolves are said to be keen to revive their interest in the Arsenal man this summer, while Leicester and Southampton are also monitoring his performances at the Hawthorns with a view to a possible summer move.

The report adds that Maitland-Niles considers his primary position to be in midfield, though he accepts he may be forced to play at right-back if he wishes to join a top side.

While his versatility will prove an attractive proposition for most clubs, there’s also the added bonus that he would be a homegrown player for any English sides competing in Europe.

The 23-year-old still has two years remaining on his deal at the Emirates, so Arsenal are unlikely to be forced into selling the youngster for any less than the £20m they rejected from Wolves last summer.

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A limited number of fans will be permitted to attend the Carabao Cup final later this month between Tottenham and Manchester City.

The occasion is being used as a pilot event as the government looks to trial the return of fans to football stadiums before lockdown restrictions are fully lifted in June.

The Evening Standard report that anyone who wishes to attend the clash between Spurs and City will be required to provide a negative COVID-19 test before entering Wembley, while social distancing guidelines will remain in place once in the ground.

The exact number of tickets available for the final has yet to be revealed, but it is expected that between 4000-8000 tickets will be on sale as the government looks to test the impact of fans returning to football grounds prior to the number being increased to 10,000 in May.

One other key aspect that the announcement failed to address was whether fans of Manchester City will be allowed to travel from Manchester for the game.

Brent Council, the London authority covering Wembley, has confirmed that Leicester’s FA Cup semi-final with Southampton a week prior to the Carabao Cup final will also see fans in attendance, but tickets will only be allocated to local residents including health workers, Brent council staff, teachers and pupils over the age of 18.

Those permitted to attend the Carabao Cup final will be chosen from the same group of people, along with a limited number of City and Spurs fans.

In a brief statement released by Brent Council, they explained their reasoning for said groups being chosen, writing: “These groups have been chosen as they are largely already in regular testing regimes.”

Brent Council has already written to residents asking them if they have any interest in attending the matches, and anyone lucky enough to be selected to attend either game will be given two match tickets.

Despite the announcement regarding Leicester’s FA Cup clash with Southampton, fans will not be allowed to attend the other semi-final between Chelsea and Manchester City.

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